Meta Launches Llama 4 Scout & Maverick: Multimodal AI Models That Can Run on a Single GPU

Meta has just shaken the AI world with the launch of two powerful new open-source models — Llama 4 Scout and Llama 4 Maverick. These are the first entries in the much-anticipated Llama 4 family and they come packed with features that challenge industry leaders like OpenAI’s GPT-4o, Gemini Flash 2, and DeepSeek V3.

Let’s break it all down.

What Is Llama 4?

Meta’s Llama (Large Language Model Meta AI) series has been a key part of the company’s open-source AI strategy. With Llama 4, Meta is pushing the boundaries of multimodal AI — models that can process text, images, and more, natively.

According to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, this is a “milestone for Meta AI and for open source.”

“For the first time, the best small, mid-sized, and soon even frontier models will be open source,” said Zuckerberg in a video shared on Instagram.

Meet Llama 4 Scout: The “Workhorse” Model

Key Features:

• 17 Billion Parameters
• Mixture of Experts (MoE) architecture with 16 experts
• 10 Million Token Context Length
• Runs on a single GPU (like the NVIDIA H100)
• Open-source and lightweight

Llama 4 Scout is described by Meta as a small-but-mighty model that delivers top-tier performance without the need for high-end server infrastructure. That’s a big deal for startups, solo developers, and researchers looking to run advanced AI models without expensive hardware.

Zuckerberg calls it a “workhorse” and claims it outperforms both GPT-4o and Gemini Flash 2 across all benchmarks in its class.

How It Compares:

What About Llama 4 Maverick?

While Meta hasn’t released full specs on Llama 4 Maverick yet, it’s positioned as a more advanced multimodal model designed for richer media understanding, likely supporting text, images, and perhaps even audio or video.

Details remain limited, but users can already access both Scout and Maverick through:

• Meta AI platforms
• WhatsApp
• Messenger
• Instagram Direct
• Meta.ai
• Hugging Face (free download)

What’s Coming Next? Llama 4 Reasoning & Behemoth

Meta isn’t stopping with just Scout and Maverick. Two more models are on the way:

Llama 4 Reasoning (Coming May 2025)

This model is expected to focus on deep logical reasoning, likely competing with tools like Claude 3 Opus and GPT-4 Turbo for complex tasks and advanced analysis.

Llama 4 Behemoth (In Training)

The big one. Behemoth will reportedly have two trillion parameters, making it Meta’s most powerful language model yet — possibly rivaling OpenAI’s upcoming GPT-5 or Anthropic’s Claude 4.5 Ultra.

Where to Download Llama 4 Scout & Maverick

Both models are now available for free download via:

• Meta.ai
• Hugging Face

⚠ Note: While the models are “open-source,” there may be licensing restrictions on commercial usage. Developers and businesses should check the license terms before deploying at scale.

Why This Matters: Big Power, Small Footprint

The release of Scout and Maverick signals a new era in AI development:

• Models are getting smaller but smarter
• Running locally on consumer-grade hardware is now a reality
• Open-source AI is catching up fast to proprietary giants

In short: Meta is making powerful AI accessible to everyone — from indie developers to enterprise teams.